Playing cards with matching portions for overlying each other

ABSTRACT

A pack of playing cards consists of a plurality of cards a face side of each of which has three optically discernible devices located one at each of the apices of a triangle. No one card possesses three like devices. The triangles are preferably like equilateral triangles and each card preferably has three edges of concave arcuate form each two of which are joined by a convex portion. Within each convex portion is located a circular area which defines one of the optically discernible devices, wherein the center of the circular area coincides with one of the aforementioned apices. The above arrangement is such that, in play, two cards having two matching devices are laid one on the other with the circular areas bearing matching devices overlying each other.

Pink

[ 1 Apr. 23, 1974 PLAYING CARDS WITH MATCHING PORTIONS FOR OVERLYINGEACH OTHER Inventor: William Barrington Pink, Anthoine,

Quaker Ln., Potters Bar, England Filed: Aug. 21, 1972 Appl. N0.: 282,033

Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 27, 1971 Great Britain 44918/71US. Cl 273/137 D, 35/69, 273/l52.l Int. Cl. A631 1/02 Field of Search273/137 D, 152.1, 152.7 A;

35/35 .1, 71, 69; D34/5 GP, 13 R References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTSFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 132,181 3/1933 Austria 273/137 D1,219,551 l/l97l Great Britain 273/137 D Primary ExaminerRichard C.Pinkham Assistant Examiner-R. T. Stouffer Attorney, Agent, orFirmSnyder, Brown and Ramik [57] ABSTRACT A pack of playing cardsconsists of a plurality of cards a face side of each of which has threeoptically discernible devices located one at each of the apices of atriangle. No one card possesses three like devices. The triangles arepreferably like equilateral triangles and each card preferably has threeedges of concave arcuate form each two of which are joined by a convexportion. Within each convex portion is located a circular area whichdefines one of the optically discernible devices, wherein the center ofthe circular area coincides with one of the aforementioned apices. Theabove arrangement is such that, in play, two cards having two matchingdevices are laid one on the other with the circular areas bearingmatching devices overlying each other.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PLAYING CARDS WITH MATCHING PORTIONS FOROVERLYING EACH OTHER This invention relates to playing or recognitioncards.

According to the invention a pack of playing or recognition cardscomprises a plurality of cards each provided on a face side thereof withthree optically discernible devices located respectively one at each ofthe apices of a triangle with no one card possessing three like devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 illustrates one card of a packof cards according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 illustrates some of the pack of cards as laid out during theplaying of a game therewith.

DECRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, a packof playing or recognition cards comprises a plurality of cards 10, FIG.1, made of any suitable material, each provided on a face side thereofwith three optically discernible devices l1, l2, 13 located respectivelyone at each of the apices of a triangle 14 with no card possessing threelike devices. Preferably, the triangle 14 is an equilateral triangle.

Each card also preferably has three edges 15, 16, 17 of concave arcuateform each two of which are joined by a convex portion 18. Each of thedevices 11, 12, 13 is applied to a card in one of six different coloursand no three colours on any one card are of the same colour. The coloursmay be red, blue, yellow, green, black and purple and in the drawing thecolours blue, yellow, red, black and green are respectively indicated byvertical hatching, leftwise inclined hatching, rightwise inclinedhatching, horizontal hatching, and broken line hatching. The use of sixdifferent colours provides a pack of forty cards no two of which bearsthe same combination of three colours or symbols but which includesevery possible combination of three colours or symbols from a total ofsix colours or symbols. As shown in the drawing each device is acircular area 19 of the card covered by the appropriate colour.

If desired, the devices 11, l2, 13 may consist of symbols such as stars,road signs, letters of the alphabet, animals, articles of fruit orvegetables, or of any other things such as one might wish to teachchildren to recognise. These symbols may be in colour or, as indicatedin the drawing, each be set on a coloured background, no threebackground colours on a card being of the same colour.

Two examples of the kind of games which can be played with the cardswill now be given, assuming in each case that only two players aretaking part. It is, however, clearly to be understood that more than twoplayers can participate in games played with the cards.

GAME 1 The pack is dealt so that each player has twenty cards which mustbe placed face uppermost in front of the player so that they are clearlyvisible to the other player.

One player commences the game by laying one of his cards on the table,card 1, FIG. 2. The second player then selects one of his cards, card 2,FIG. 2, on which two colours match two colours of the first laid card,and lays his card so that the matching colours are overlaid.

The first player then selects one of his cards, card 3, FIG. 2, on whichtwo colours match any two adjacent on the cards already laid and laysthe card so that the matching colours are overlaid. Cards are then laidalternately by the players as indicated in FIG. 2 by cards 4 and 5 untilone player finds that he holds a card which matches three adjoiningcolours of cards already laid, for example. he may hold a card bearingthe colours blue, red, and green as indicateat 20, 21, and 22, FIG. 2.He then calls a word as predetermined by the players and places his cardwith his colours over the like colours 20, 21, 22 and is then entitledto a further move before his opponents next move.

By playing to obtain as many three-colour covers as possible, and byobserving all the cards on the table it is possible for one player tofrustrate the efforts of the other and obtain a clear lead in the numberof cards played.

The winner is the first player to have played all of his cards and hecounts one point for every card remaining unplayed by his opponent.

GAME 2 The pack of cards is placed, face down, within easy reach of eachplayer and the top card is taken by the first player and is laid faceuppermost on the table. The next card on the pack is taken by the secondplayer and if it should match two colours of the first laid card it islaid thereon, card 2, FIG. 2. If, however, the card does not havecolours matching those of the card laid it is placed face down in frontof the player.

Subsequent moves, made alternately by the players, consist of takingcards from the pack and either, when possible, laying them on the cardslaid on the table with overlying colours or placing them face downbefore the players. The game may be terminated when the last card isremoved from the pack in which case the player with the least number ofunlaid cards is the winner, or alternatively the players may playalternately from their packs of unlaid cards until one player has playedall of his cards and so becomes the winner.

FOM FIG. 2 it will be understood that because of the shape of the cardsthese, when laid in the manner above described, will form a number ofpatterns thus adding interest to the game.

The cards can also be used to teach children not only to recognisecolours while playing a game but also to recognise other symbols which,as stated above, may consist of letters of the alphabet, road signs,animals and other objects to be encountered in every day life.

I claim:

1. A pack of playing cards comprising forty cards each of which hasthree substantially circular portions each two of which are edges ofconcave arcuate form, each substantially circular portion of a cardbeing provided on a face side thereof with one of six differentoptically discernable devices with no three devices on one card beingthe same as the three devices on any other card and the three devices oneach card being located one each about the centres of said substantiallycircular portions, said centres being the apices of an equilateraltriangle and the arrangement being such that when in play two cardshaving two matching devices are laid one of the six colours.

4. A pack of cards according to claim 1, wherein the six differentdevices are different symbols.

5. A pack of cards according to claim 4, wherein each symbol is set on acoloured background selected from six different colours.

1. A pack of playing cards comprising forty cards each of which hasthree substantially circular portions each two of which are edges ofconcave arcuate form, each substantially circular portion of a cardbeing provided on a face side thereof with one of six differentoptically discernable devices with no three devices on one card beingthe same as the three devices on any other card and the three devices oneach card being located one each about the centres of said substantiallycircular portions, said centres being the apices of an equilateraltriangle and the arrangement being such that when in play two cardshaving two matching devices are laid one on the other with thesubstantially circular portions bearing matching devices overlying eachother.
 2. A pack of cards according to claim 1, wherein said six diffentdevices are applied to the cards in six different colours one for eachof said devices.
 3. A pack of cards according to claim 2, wherein eachdevice is a circular area of one of said substantially circular portionsof one of said cards coloured by one of the six colours.
 4. A pack ofcards according to claim 1, wherein the six different devices aredifferent symbols.
 5. A pack of cards according to claim 4, wherein eachsymbol is set on a coloured background selected from six differentcolours.